A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 11 | Page 6

lest
the surf should set him again afloat, which they at length accomplished
with the help of a dagger lent them by Mr Randal. They then cut him
into pieces, which were distributed among all who stood by. This fish,
though of the flat kind, was very thick, and had a large hideous mouth,
being fourteen or fifteen feet broad, but not quite so much in length.
On the 18th August, 1721, we set sail from Porto Leguro, bound for
Canton in China, as a likely place for meeting with some English ships,
in which we might procure a passage home. Considering the length of
the voyage before us, our ship was in a very bad condition, as her sails

and rigging were so old and rotten, that if any accident had befallen our
masts or sails, we had been reduced to extreme distress and danger,
having no change either of sails or ropes; but ours being a case of
necessity, we had to run all hazards, and to endeavour, by the utmost
attention, to guard against deficiencies which could not be supplied.
Having already overcome many difficulties, seemingly insurmountable
in prospect, we were full of hope to get over these also, and the
pleasing expectation of revisiting our native shores gave us spirits to
encounter this tedious navigation in so weak and comfortless a
condition. We were now so weakly manned, that we could scarcely
have been able to navigate our vessel without the assistance of the
negroes, not amounting now to thirty whites, so much had our crew
been reduced by untoward accidents.
We discovered an island on the 21st, 110 leagues W.S.W. from Cape St
Lucas,[1] but as the wind blew fresh, I could not get nearer than two
leagues, and did not think proper to lose time in laying-to in the night.
It seemed seven or eight leagues in circumference, having a large bay
on its S.W. side, in the middle of which was a high rock. My people
named this Shelvocke's island. From hence we shelved, down to the
latitude of 13° N. but were stopped two or three days by westerly winds,
which we did not expect in this sea, especially as being now five or six
hundred leagues from the land. The trade-wind again returning, we kept
in the parallel of 13° N. except when we judged that we were near the
shoals of St Bartholomew, and then haled a degree more to the north,
and so continued for sixty or seventy leagues. A fortnight after leaving
California, my people, who had hitherto enjoyed uninterrupted health,
began to be afflicted with sickness, particularly affecting their stomachs,
owing doubtless to the great quantities of sweetmeats they were
continually devouring, and also to oar common food, chiefly composed
of puddings made of coarse flour and sweetmeats, mixed up with
sea-water, together with jerked beef, most of which was destroyed by
ants, cockroaches, and other vermin. We could not afford to boil the
kettle once in the whole passage with fresh water, so that the crew
became reduced to a very melancholy state by scurvy and other
distempers. The sickness increased upon us every day, so that we once
buried two in one day, the armourer and carpenter's, mate, besides

whom the carpenter, gunner, and several others died, together with
some of our best negroes.
[Footnote 1: Probably La Nablada, in lat. 18° 55' N. long. 180° 48' E.]
The greatest part of my remaining people were disabled, and our ship
very leaky; and to add to our misfortunes, one of our pumps split and
became useless. Under these unhappy circumstances, we pushed
forwards with favourable gales till within 80 leagues of Guam, one of
the Ladrones, when we encountered dismal weather and tempestuous
winds, veering round the compass. This was the more frightful, as we
were unable to help ourselves, not above six or seven, being able for
duty, though necessity obliged even those who were extremely low and
weak to lend what help they could. In the boisterous sea raised by these
gales, our ship so laboured that the knee of her head, and her whole
beak-head, became loose, so that the boltsprit fetched away and played
with every motion of the ship, and so continued all the rest of the time
we were at sea. For some time our main-mast stood without larboard
shrouds, till we could unlay our best cable to make more, having
knotted and spliced the old shrouds till our labour was in vain. In the
midst of these difficulties, I was taken very ill, and had little
expectations of living much longer, till the gout gave me some painful
hopes of recovery.
In the beginning of October, we made the island of Guam, 100 leagues
short of the account given by